With so many breweries releasing so many beers, a beer lover can feel overwhelmed. Paralysis by analysis is real, so it can never hurt for a thirsty traveler to know what to look for. After you’ve made headway on the classics on this list, this list, this list, and this list, reach for something new, something like one of these 8 releases we’re excited about. Here’s our freshest batch of new beers to try.
Offshoot Beer Co. Better Late Than Never
The Bruery has long been known for their big stouts and funky wild ales. What the California-based brewery hasn’t been known for, however, are IPAs. Instead of introducing hoppy, hazy numbers to their portfolio, The Bruery is introducing a new project, Offshoot Beer Company. Offshoot will specialize in canned IPAs, something The Bruery has never tackled, and they’re kicking it all off with Better Late Than Never, a Vermont-style Double IPA brewed with Mosaic, Vic Secret, and Citra hops. That hop blend, the fact that it’s unfiltered, and the fact that the mash bill includes wheat means it should be right in line with many other juicy, hazy hop bombs, which is a good thing if you ask us. Link
Lagunitas Born Again Yesterday
Born Yesterday was proof a big brewery could successfully put a hazy, juicy, wet hop beer on shelves. Normally, a beer like that would take too much time to get to bottle shops and turn to malt water before touching your tongue. With Born Again Yesterday, Lagunitas is doing it again, and if you missed out last time, don’t let it happen this year. A wet-hopped beer is a beer brewed with hops that were freshly picked. While Born Again Yesterday is called a wet hop beer, the folks at Lagunitas claim to have developed a way to keep hops “wet” all year long, so the hops used here were actually plucked from the vine last fall and “reborn.” We can’t tell you what this process exactly looks like, but we can tell you we have a pretty strong feeling Born Again Yesterday will be exceptional. Link
Creature Comforts Cucumber & Lime Tritonia
Look outside. Is it sunny and inviting? Are you ready to dip from work to sit on the patio and watch the afternoon go by? Then it’s high time for a Gose. The refreshing and tart beer is made for warm weather lounging. If you want a unique take on the style, turn to Creature Comforts, as the Athens, Georgia, brewery is canning their cult classic Cucumber & Lime Tritonia. It’s like a beer version of the water they serve you after a massage. The salt plays nicely with the lime and the aroma of cucumber just screams, “It’s time to take a load off.” It’s an absolute winner worth tracking down if you’re in the area. Link
Other Half Double Dribble
There might not be a lot of exciting basketball in Brooklyn as of late, but that’s not stopping the borough’s Other Half Brewing from putting a hoops spin on their latest release. Double Dribble, which is being released this Saturday along with Raining Threes, is brewed in collaboration with The Answer from Richmond, Virginia. Other Half has really been killing it with their double dry-hopped brews as of late, which is why this one should be a slam dunk (we’re so sorry). Double Dribble is a double dry-hopped Imperial IPA with Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Lemondrop hops. As always with Other Half, the can art is a huge part of why we want it. Link
Goose Island Brasserie Blanc
The first in a two-part series from Goose Island’s Barrel House Series, Brasserie Blanc is a barrel-aged Golden Ale fermented with grape juice. If you’re the kind of guy who likes a little Chardonnay with dinner, this may be the beer for you. The orange muscat grape juice and the brettanomyces will lend this beer a tart and funky aroma and the extended time in barrels (14 months) means it will also boast some oakiness not unlike a good bottle of white. Let it sit for up to 5 years and enjoy. Link
Founders Palm Reader
Okay, Michiganders, this one’s for you. Founders is releasing a beer in honor of their home state, as Palm Reader hits (Michigan) shelves this month. Brewed with Michigan-grown Crystal and Zuper-Saazer hops, the 5.4% American Pale Ale is bready, dry, and grassy. If you’re looking for a pale ale that doesn’t taste like orange juice, this may be for you—assuming you live in Michigan. Link
Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew
As the big craft arms race ramps up, breweries are looking to expand both in size and distribution to keep up. Colorado’s Ska Brewing Company is the latest to do so, dropping in five new fermenters, a second kettle, and a new water system to allow them to brew 20% more beer. This also means more brews from their Mod Project, an offshoot that’s all about experimental small-batch offerings. Which leads us to Pink Vapor Stew, a Mod Project beer that’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. Brewed with beets, carrots, ginger, and apples, the funky, tart beer sounds more like something you’d order with your acai bowl than an adult beverage. Maybe just try it once. Link
Stillwater Artisanal Tangerine Haze
For Stillwater’s latest, the brewery turned to a strain of weed for inspiration. Tangerine Haze is a sativa-forward hybrid with some citrus notes. Stillwater Artisanal took the name and idea and brewed a sour IPA with tangerines that somewhat mimics the strain of cannabis—minus the high. It’s the first in a series of beers that are inspired by marijuana. If you’re not baked out of your mind, try to remember to find cans of it next month. Link
